Our love for the Police goes on
By Andrea Keelan
Lance Writer
August 8, 2007
July of 1977 saw the formation of one of the coolest rock bands of all time. Its three members would produce numerous hit songs. Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland a.k.a. The Police are responsible for songs like “Can’t Stand Losing You,” which showcases a reggae influence that they helped bring to the mainstream.
The Police first signed with A&M Records in 1978 after Copeland’s older brother (who was also the band’s manager) pitched the now-famous song “Roxanne” to the record label. From being banned by the BBC because of the subject matter of their songs to having a handful of #1 singles to winning Grammys, the Police traveled the path to stardom.
After five albums, numerous tours and awards, countless fans, and years of fighting, the members of the Police went their separate ways in March of 1984. There was never an official breakup and a short-lived reunion took place in 1986 in order to perform for an Amnesty International Tour as well as to re-record some singles. The last song the band ever worked on together was “Don’t Stand So Close to Me ‘86” which was a reworked version of the 1980 original.
After the Police disbanded, Summers went on to release many collaborations with other musicians including Deborah Harry of Blondie and rapper Q-Tip.
Copeland has kept himself busy by composing soundtracks for films, television, video games and operas. He released a solo album in 1985 and has been part of many collaborations with musicians. Copeland also released the film “Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out” at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.
Sting’s solo career after the Police is massive including numerous albums, dozens of awards, and quite a few roles in movies and television shows.
 These highly talented individuals came together again to play at the 2007 Grammy Awards. The next day, the Police announced they would be doing a reunion tour to celebrate the band’s 30-year anniversary.
They brought the tour to the Palace of Auburn Hills on July 17. Opening with “Message in the Bottle,” the band was as energetic as the crowd. Younger fans of the Police who were just children in the 1980’s were clearly thrilled to finally experience the band live that their parents probably first exposed them to. In fact, as Sting revealed, the first time the Police played in Detroit was November 8, 1978 and he joked that only three people had come to hear them play. Thirty years later, The Palace was a sea of cheering fans.
Age and time had not diminished Copeland’s solid and precision drumming abilities. Summers can still produce screeching guitar solos. The band played for over an hour straight, hardly breaking a sweat and Sting ,55, had the physique and hip-gyrating abilities that could make twentysomething guys feel insecure.
The Police reinvented some of their hits by changing up the tempo like they did for the intro of “When the World is Running Down,” which was sung and played much slower than the original version. Sometimes this confused even the most die-hard police fans who weren’t able to identify the song until the chorus. These changes were nice, but overused at times and the fans wanted to be able to sing along with their favourites in a familiar way. When the band starting jamming, however, the crowd loved hearing these skilled musicians improvise with one another.
One of the most interesting songs of the night was “Wrapped Around Your Finger,” featuring Copeland expertly playing a giant gong, chimes, xylophone, cymbals, and bongos at the intro and finish, while running back to his drum kit to play the middle of the song.
The lighting of the show was fairly simple and consisted of mostly spotlights shining on each band member, but when “Roxanne” was played, of course the technicians had to “turn on the red light,” bathing both crowd and performers in bright red.
The band has such a huge catalogue of hits and played most of their classics like “Walking on the Moon,” “Don’t Stand So Close to Me,” “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic,” and “Every Breath You Take.” Songs that have been played on the radio for 30 years were given new life on the stage, sounding fresh and exciting.
“De Do Do Do De Da Da Da” appeared to be the favourite performance of the night for the band as all three members interacted and jammed together. Sting and Summers leaned against each other, both admiring each other’s sound. The usually serious Copeland smiled at the pair rocking out together.
The band that was infamous for butting heads were amicable, bringing smiles to fans faces. It also leaves some wondering if we’ll ever see a new album from this legendary band?
One thing is certain: our love for the Police goes on.
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